A New and Correct Map of the World, Laid Down According to the Newest Discoveries and from the Most Exact Observations

Identifier: Novicoff 4
Title: A New and Correct Map of the World, Laid Down According to the Newest Discoveries and from the Most Exact Observations
Description: This map by geographer Herman Moll shows the world according to mainstream cartography, and therefore, shows how literate and educated Britons saw the world. An interesting (and possibly ironic) thing to notice is that the map is declared to be according to "the most exact observations," yet if that is true, there is a dearth of exact observations, at least of the kind that would be available to a London cartographer like Moll. According to the map, Canada's Pacific coastline doesn't exist and Ethiopia is one big "Unknown." In addition to unknowns, there are big errors: for one, there is a depicted land bridge between New Guinea and Australia, almost seeming to form a new continent. Nonetheless, the fact that such a detailed map was able to be produced only a couple hundred years after the New World was discovered is a testament to the speed of early European colonialism.
Creator: Herman Moll
Date Created: 1709
Publisher: Moll
Bibliographic Citation: Herman Moll. The World Described. London: Moll, 1709-1720.
Rare G1015.M6 1709